Medical Weight Loss Retreat at Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa, Miami

The Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa sits inside a resort property in south Florida, with tropical gardens, a pool and comfortable hotel-style rooms. Guests arrive on a set programme rather than a holiday schedule. On day one you have a medical intake — bloods, blood pressure, weight, body composition via DEXA — and from there the week follows a fixed timetable of exercise sessions, lectures and clinic appointments.

Exercise is prescribed, not chosen at random. You work with an exercise physiologist who sets your intensity using wearable heart-rate monitoring, and the cardio machines adjust resistance based on that heart rate. Sessions blend treadmill and bike work with resistance training, stretching and aqua classes, and group walks around the grounds. If you have joint problems or a cardiac history, the prescription is scaled accordingly.

Food is a large part of the programme. Three meals a day are included and taken in the resort's dining room. The cooking is low-sodium, low-fat and largely plant-based, with no added oil, butter, cream or sugar — the kitchen leans on herbs, citrus and spices instead. You also spend time in the culinary centre learning to cook this way at home, covering breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guests routinely report that their palate shifts within the first week.

What separates this from a standard weight loss resort is the medical side. Physicians are on staff, not just fitness trainers and nutritionists. They review your labs, adjust medications where appropriate, and monitor progress against measured data throughout your stay — metabolic testing and DEXA body scans are used to track fat loss versus muscle loss, since dieting away muscle slows metabolism and makes the weight come back.

The centre has been running this programme for decades and both Oprah.com and The Today Show have called Pritikin the gold standard in its category. It is an all-inclusive price — room, all meals, the full medical and fitness programme, and the cooking classes — with no upsells or hidden fees once you are there. The property itself is a full luxury resort, so outside of scheduled sessions you have the pool, the spa and the gardens to yourself.

What's included

- Accommodation at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa - All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) - Medical intake and exit assessments - Bloodwork, blood pressure and metabolic testing - DEXA body composition scans - Physician consultations and progress reviews - Exercise physiologist assessment and personal exercise prescription - Supervised fitness sessions with heart-rate monitoring - Nutritionist consultations - Cooking classes in the culinary centre - Health and nutrition lectures - Access to resort facilities including pool and gardens

What's not included

- Flights and travel to south Florida - Airport transfers - Travel insurance - Spa treatments - Personal expenses - Any medication costs